CHAPTER 7

Reaching Decision Makers

How to Better Connect and Meet

DO YOU LIVE in the city, the suburbs, or the country? Whatever your choice, many considerations most likely influenced your decision. Maybe you wanted a good school system for your kids. Perhaps you wanted to live in a neighborhood with big backyards, summer barbecues, and block parties. Or possibly the most important factor was having a property with plenty of room for your dogs to roam free. Whatever the consideration, there’s a good chance that your next-door neighbor’s reason for choosing this location was entirely different than yours.

This same decision-making process happens in business every day. Different people are involved in buying your product or service and each one has a different set of criteria for making a purchase. People and businesses buy for their own reasons, not yours. This is a basic principle to remember when trying to navigate through a company’s decision-making process.

Salespeople study the prospect company’s organizational charts and identify various buying influences in the organization. There is a heavy emphasis placed on meeting all the buyers in order to win business. Salespeople consider selling strategies and approaches to gaining entry and penetration into the account and fill out long pre-call planning forms that put prospects in nice little boxes. Prospects are assigned names such as the economic buyer (the person who writes the check), the user buyer (the person using your product or executing your service), and the power buyer (the big boss).

So with all this research and pre-call planning, why do so many salespeople still end up in dead-end sales scenarios where they are stuck meeting with non–decision makers? Or if they are successful at setting up meetings with the right buyers, why do they lose to a competitor who didn’t have as good a solution?

There are a few reasons. Most pre-call strategy meetings neglect soft skills in their analysis of the opportunity. For example, what is the personality and mindset of the various people in the organizational charts? How do these individuals personally make decisions? What do you need to do or say in order to better relate to each of them?

You can make assumptions based on their position: the CFO, often called the economic buyer, is going to be looking at the return on investment. The CEO, typically the power buyer, will be focused on services that help with growth and acquisitions. But it’s important for a salesperson to look beyond the title.

Some people make decisions in order to mitigate risks. Others thrive on making decisions that involve risks and trying something new. Some people make decisions quickly, others need time to process and analyze. Prospects can have the same title of CEO, and yet each person makes decisions differently. One more review of the organizational chart is not going to win business if you don’t know how to read and connect with the different types of buyers.

Another area that is often missed in pre-call planning is the discussion about the importance of assertiveness in getting meetings set with all the buying influences. You know you are supposed to set up meetings with various potential buyers. So why aren’t you doing it? No amount of pre-call planning is going to help close business if you aren’t able to ask for what you need in order to conduct business. It’s a classic case of working on the wrong end of the problem.

Let’s take a look at the soft skills needed to uncover your prospect’s personal and corporate decision-making criteria. You’ll recognize these emotional intelligence skills from earlier chapters: self-awareness, interpersonal skills, assertiveness, self-regard, and delayed gratification. They are all critical in helping you connect and meet with all the buying influences.

How People Make Decisions

Sales training programs usually focus heavily on identifying the buying influences in the prospect’s organizational chart. Facilitators rarely discuss the people behind the labels and titles, each of whom has their own way of processing information and making decisions. It’s one thing to identify a buying influence, it’s another to know how to engage and connect in order to learn what’s driving their decisions.

Interpersonal skills are essential at this selling stage. Good salespeople have the ability to connect and build relationships with a variety of people, not just people like themselves. And when you are selling to larger accounts, there will always be a variety of buyers to meet, relate to, and influence.

In order to better understand who is sitting in these decision-making chairs, we teach the DISC communication model, which helps you understand how your buyers communicate and make decisions based on their own personal style. If you are not aware of who you are dealing with, there is a good chance that the prospect is not going to connect with you because of your inability to read the prospect and adapt your sales approach.

One of our goals in teaching this communication model is to raise your awareness of how you react to certain communication styles. The more you know about who you are meeting with, the less likely you are to respond with nonproductive selling behaviors.

Dr. William Moulton Marston is given credit for this communication model. His book, Emotions of Normal People (Routledge, 1999; Cooper Press, 2007), provides descriptive words that outline a person’s observable behavior and the characteristics that accompany that behavior. For example, some buyers thrive on receiving a lot of detail and data when meeting with a salesperson. Other buyers’ eyes glaze over at the thought of looking at charts, graphs, and data. The emotionally intelligent salesperson is always looking for clues about how the prospect likes to interact and make decisions.

Dr. Marston’s research categorizes people into four areas, based on specific characteristics commonly referred to as “personality types.” These four types are typically known as:

Driver or Dominant

Influencer or Influence

Steady Relator or Steadiness

Cautious Thinker or Conscientious

Successful salespeople include this people analysis in their pre-call preparation. This additional knowledge of their prospect helps them understand the what, why, and how behind each person’s decision-making process.

The Driver

Characteristics. The Driver doesn’t need or want to invest a lot of time in small talk when meeting with a salesperson for the first time. He will spend not more than two to three minutes in light conversation, then shift his body position, take charge of the meeting, and get down to business.

Here’s the problem. Salespeople have been taught to conduct small talk in order to build rapport. What they have not been taught is that some buyers don’t appreciate small talk at the beginning of an appointment. Excessive talking doesn’t appeal to this hard-charging buyer and the meeting is over before it even starts.

The Driver is aggressive, competitive, and likes to win. He is direct and bottom-line oriented. The Driver is open to new ideas because it may help him win and take his department or company to the next level of success. This buyer is not worried about the details and makes decisions quickly. He is interested in getting from A to Z without covering the entire alphabet.

How to Communicate and Sell to This Personality Type. Stop talking and get down to business. This prospect will talk about personal subjects, but only after business has been addressed. Be prepared to be challenged by this prospect because this personality type is looking for results and doesn’t like to waste time.

Many Drivers intimidate salespeople because of their direct, sometimes abrupt style. This is where the soft skill of self-awareness comes into play. Recognize that their direct communication style can send you into fight-or-flight mode. You might start getting defensive with this prospect and try to talk over him. Or you rush through your sales process and don’t ask enough questions because you just want to get out of the meeting. Because you got flustered, you miss uncovering key information that would help you craft a better solution. You might lose business to a competitor who didn’t react, asked the right questions, and as a result presented a better recommendation.

Manage your emotional response and recognize that bottom-line conversation is just the way this person communicates. It’s not personal.

A few years ago, I was meeting with a prospect for the first time. Dan is a successful, no-nonsense business owner. Right in the middle of our conversation, Dan threw a curve ball into the conversation and asked me a direct question: “Are you any good?” That question might have been perceived as intimidating. However, I knew I was in front of a Driver and didn’t react. I paused and answered, “Yes, I am very good.” That was the end of that question and the conversation continued. We wound up doing business together and our meetings were always direct and to the point.

Good salespeople prepare questions that align with the Driver’s communication style and decision-making criteria, such as:

  What specific outcomes are you looking for in this project?

  How will this position your department/company in the marketplace?

  Who is your biggest competitor and what are they doing right?

  What are your growth plans? Are you on track or behind?

  Who and what is your biggest obstacle to growth?

  At the end of the day, what are three things you want to make sure get accomplished?

Note that all of the questions are geared toward results, and taking things to a next level.

The Influencer

Characteristics. The Influencer is more commonly known as an extrovert. She likes to talk, tell jokes, and is generally trusting and optimistic. The Influencer is motivated by recognition and status. She likes new ideas and products and makes decisions quickly and impulsively, often without thinking through the downside of the purchase.

How to Communicate and Sell to This Personality Type. Sales trainers like to ask this question: “What happens when an Influencer salesperson gets together with an Influencer prospect?” The answer—nothing, because the entire meeting was about having fun. Salespeople often get caught up in this buyer’s enthusiasm and forget the reason for the appointment: something called business. Increase your emotional self-awareness and manage your emotions. Make sure that you are building both rapport and a business case when meeting with an Influencer.

The Driver salesperson often alienates the Influencer because he forgets the importance of small talk to this buyer, which is the opposite of his style. He gets down to business too quickly, which decreases the likeability factor. Pay attention and use your empathy skills to better read your prospect and adapt your approach. Know when to chat and when to conduct business.

It’s important to be cognizant of this buyer’s impulsive decision-making style. This prospect, more than any of the others, needs to be asked questions that help her look at the downside of the purchase as well as the upside in order to prevent buyer’s remorse.

You may be puzzled when this prospect decides not to move forward because she seemed really excited about the product in the initial stages of the selling process. And because of the buyer’s enthusiasm, you start believing you have a deal. You get sloppy in your qualification process and don’t ask all the right questions, the tough questions.

This buyer really was ready to buy until she spoke to a colleague who asked tough questions that begin with, “What about …,” “Did you consider…,” and “What happens when …?” All are questions that you should have asked during the meeting. Now the prospect starts having second thoughts and additional questions—none of which you are present to respond to—and the sale gets derailed.

When meeting with this buyer, you need to manage your emotions, especially your optimism, and not get carried away by the prospect’s enthusiasm.

Good questions to prepare for this buyer are:

  How will this decision improve your position/department in the company?

  What can we do to help you look better?

  Let’s look at the downside of this. What are some of the challenges or concerns in moving forward?

  Is there really any substantial impact to the organization if you don’t address this issue?

  What are questions you will be asked regarding return on investment?

Focus on finding evidence for change or acquisition, not just on fun and providing information about your product or service. Ask tough questions during the sales meeting to prevent potential “buyer’s remorse” before you’ve even sold anything!

The Steady Relator

Characteristics. The Steady Relator is a pleasant person who is described as amiable and easygoing. These buyers are relaxed and cordial. Often, they are the first person to ask you if you’d like water or coffee. (Drivers and Influencers don’t even know you need water because they are too busy getting down to business or talking.)

Steady Relators are good team players. They are motivated by serving and helping people, both internal and external customers. It’s important to note that they don’t like change or confrontation. The Steady Relator is very loyal, which can be a double-edged sword. They are great customers because of their loyalty. They are also tough prospects because of their loyalty to the existing relationship. Their pace of buying is slower and more methodical than the Driver and Influencer.

How to Communicate and Sell to This Personality Type. First of all, slow down and build a relationship before talking about your product or service. Ask questions about their family or hobbies. Learn how they got started in the business and what they like best about their job. Get their views on how to best serve their team or their customers. Find out what good service looks like to them in order to align your solutions and recommendations with that viewpoint.

Be aware of their hesitation to be a trendsetter. More than one salesperson has blown a sales meeting with a Steady Relator by introducing their product as the “latest and newest thing on the market.” Those might be magic words for the Driver and Influencer; they are not magic words for the Steady Relator.

It’s important to address existing relationships with this type of buyer because of their strong sense of loyalty. Salespeople like to skip over this potential objection for fear of losing the sale. But good salespeople show empathy and validate the importance of relationships. Knowing that Steady Relators avoid conflict, it’s important for you to bring up this potential objection because this prospect is not going to put it on the agenda. This loyal buyer sometimes sticks with below-average service in order to avoid the conflict or perceived hassle of change.

Good questions to ask this buyer are:

  How do you see this product helping your internal/external clients?

  What does good service look like to you?

  What makes good service so important to you?

  What don’t you like about our products or services? (You might preface the comment with, “We understand that no one is perfect,” giving them an easy way to confront you about this.)

  Let’s talk about your existing vendor. Relationships are important. Can you share with me your biggest concern in switching?

Because they are amiable and nonconfrontational, it’s easy to confuse a pleasant meeting with a Steady Relator, with a qualified opportunity. Use your empathy skills to see if there are any nonverbal clues being given by this prospect as to whether or not they are really comfortable with you and your offering. Don’t confuse their hospitality with commitment to change or buy.

The Cautious Thinker

Characteristics. The last type of prospect, the Cautious Thinker, is commonly known as the “analytical buyer.” This buyer can often throw salespeople off their game because they may come across a little aloof. The Cautious Thinker likes data and more data. This need for data has caused more than one sales meeting to end poorly because the salesperson didn’t come prepared to deliver facts and figures. Some salespeople try to fake it by stating a general statistic, only to get caught when the Cautious Thinker asks, “And where did you get that number?”

This buyer is a good critical thinker, so she asks hard questions during a sales meeting. She makes decisions on data, not “fluff and stuff.” This is the buyer who reads manuals and knows how to program everything on his phone and television. If you are a Driver or an Influencer, you may have difficulty selling to a Cautious Thinker because of your own lack of need or desire for detail. Be alert to this; prepare, prepare, prepare for this prospect.

How to Communicate and Sell to This Personality Type. This buyer will ask a lot of questions to determine your credibility and your company’s credibility. They want to know how long you’ve been in the business and who some of your customers are. Some untrained salespeople take offense at these questions, thinking the prospect doubts their capability to deliver. Such questions send salespeople into fight mode or flight mode, causing them to get nervous. The meeting turns into a product dump meeting or the salesperson shuts down, not able to think of one good question by which to redirect the conversation back to needs and wants.

Asking a lot of questions is simply how the Cautious Thinker processes information and makes decisions. They need context before they feel comfortable going into a sales conversation.

This buyer also likes guarantees and warranties. One of his main criteria, when making a purchase, is to mitigate risk. Cautious Thinkers also like quality, so don’t be quick to concede your price, even when they start negotiating. They value quality over price any day of the week.

Good questions to ask this buyer are:

  What specific criteria are you looking for in making this decision?

  What information can I provide about our company or my background?

  In the past when you have purchased _______________, what were your top five criteria? What made those five qualities rise to the top of your selection process?

  How much will quality play in your decision? How do you define quality?

  What guarantees are you looking for?

What is your biggest concern about moving forward?

These buyers make decisions very slowly because of their high need for data, making right decisions, and perfection. They suffer from “analysis paralysis,” often requesting more and more information to ensure a good decision is being made.

Working with this type of buyer requires delayed gratification skills. It’s not going to be a quick sale, so you must be willing to put in the work before you are awarded the business.

Salespeople who need instant gratification get frustrated selling to this type of buyer because of the buyer’s decision-making style. They might quit calling on this buyer because of his longer decision-making process or start pushing for a decision too soon in the sales process. They lose business to a salesperson possessing delayed-gratification skills, who understands this buyer and knows the sales process will take longer and is willing to put in the work to collect the reward of a sale.

Your interpersonal skills are important because you sell to a wide variety of buyers. It would be easier if we could sell to people just like ourselves because there would be no need to adapt or change our approach. The most successful salespeople we know are able to build relationships with a variety of personality styles.

Are You Meeting with Mr. No?

Now that you know what personality type is sitting in the chair, it’s time to make sure you get meetings with all the people influencing the buying decision. One of the biggest complaints we hear from salespeople during the decision stage of the sales process is that they are stuck with a non–decision maker and/or can’t get meetings with other buying influences.

Salespeople who end up in these dead-end situations usually spend their time analyzing what selling skills they are lacking. While there might be hard skills missing, we find that lack of emotional intelligence skills such as self-regard, self-actualization, and assertiveness are equal contributors to these challenges.

Salespeople know, either through the school of hard knocks or through training delivered by the owner or sales manager, that they need to get in front of the “right” decision maker, usually someone in the C-suite. This can be the chief financial officer, chief marketing officer, or chief operating officer. Salespeople know who they are supposed to call on to make the sale, so what’s the real reason salespeople still call too low in the organizational chart?

We have found that many salespeople are intimidated by the C-suite buyer. This isn’t a selling skill issue; this is a lack-of-confidence issue. Lack of confidence prevents them from setting and managing expectations to meet with these buyers.

Salespeople seem to think that this buyer wakes up every day with the goal of stumping salespeople. Their self-talk or internal belief system says, “I’m not worthy. This person has a bigger title than me. They are going to ask me a question and I won’t have the answer.”

We have some good news for you. This buyer is too busy to put together a game plan for stumping you. The C-level buyer is willing to engage with a salesperson who makes her life easier. Ask yourself this important question: What are you doing everyday to make yourself more valuable to this buyer?

Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling (Portfolio Hardcover, 2010), talks about today’s crazy busy buyers. She notes that while these busy executives will meet with salespeople, they don’t have time to waste. She warns salespeople to stop making “I’m just checking in” calls and start making “let me add value to your day” calls.

For example, do you understand how to read a profit-and-loss statement? If not, how can you have a quality conversation and add value when dealing with a prospect charged with running a profit center? How can you uncover potential problems or make suggestions if you don’t understand the basics of running a business or a department? Are you reading trade publications? Business books? If not, how will you make a meaningful contribution to the conversation? What insights will you provide that your prospect hasn’t had time to learn or read about?

This is where the emotional intelligence skill of self-actualization shows up. The lifelong learning salesperson takes time to learn and understand things that make them of more value to every decision maker they work with. This salesperson asks himself this question every month: am I smarter than I was thirty days ago? What did I learn this month that will add value to every interaction with clients and prospects?

A top real estate broker in Denver makes it a habit to call all her prospects monthly. The phone call isn’t to sell, but to share a specific piece of information that adds value to their business. As a result, her prospects looked forward to taking her phone calls. And when their lease is up for renewal, she has already established how much value she can add to their lives. It’s not a hard decision for prospects to move their brokerage business to her.

There is an easy way to grow your confidence. Go into every meeting prepared to add value, value, and more value. A funny thing called a “sale” generally happens after that.

Are You Asking the Right Question?

You are practically guaranteed not to get meetings with all the decision makers if you ask the following outdated sales question: “Who besides yourself is involved in this decision?” It’s a dead-end question because 50 percent of the time the prospect replies, “It’s me. I make the decision when it comes to this purchase. Why don’t you go ahead and put together a proposal.”

You know full well that this person hasn’t made a final decision on anything in the last twenty years. Now you’re in that difficult place of trying to get other meetings set up without offending his contact because he asked a dumb question. You know who you need to meet with based on your past experiences of winning and losing deals. So why are you asking the question?

We suggest that you eliminate the question and simply state what you need in order to make an effective recommendation. It’s fairly simple. You will need to speak to all the people being impacted by this decision, otherwise you are guessing at the proper solution. And guessing isn’t a good use of anyone’s time or money.

For example, you might say:

“Joan, you and I have had a good meeting today and I appreciate that. I think there are some things my company can do to help you solve some of your challenges with document management. However, before I can comfortably put together a proposal, I will also need to speak with your Director of IT and your CFO.

One of the reasons we have a good reputation is that we take time to meet with all parties affected by this purchase. We work hard to learn what’s important to them and as result are able to make an effective recommendation that includes everyone’s input. Without those conversations, we are just guessing at the right solution. Can you help me get those meetings set up?”

The above statement is truth telling at best. Truth telling requires the emotional intelligence skills of assertiveness and self-regard and the successful salesperson has both. She is confident and assertive enough to state what she needs in order for this opportunity to be an effective use of her time.

Deal with Potential Problems Upfront

Apply a lesson from Chapter 5 and deal with potential problems that can occur when working with busy decision makers.

More than once, a salesperson has driven an hour across town, only to find out that the key decision maker had to fly out of town unexpectedly. However, the non–decision maker always seems to be able to make it to the meeting and promises to give any information you discuss that day to the big boss. After the meeting, the non–decision maker asks you to put together a proposal. You put a proposal together that lacks the key decision maker’s needs and wants. The non–decision maker calls you back and says, “Thanks for your time. We are going another direction.”

Meanwhile, your proactive, assertive competitor gets a meeting with the true decision maker. She builds a relationship, uncovers specific needs and wants, and delivers a “spot on” solution that wins the business.

Did you lose the business because you didn’t have the solution? Or was it because you were not proactive and assertive enough to set expectations for how you do business? We suggest it’s the latter. An assertive conversation that avoids this potential problem sounds like this:

“Pete, based on our conversation today, let’s go ahead and set up another meeting. Since Jacob is the head of finance, we will need to have him in the meeting to make sure he understands the return on investment for this purchase. I know how busy Jacob’s schedule is, so I will call a couple of days before our meeting to make sure the time still works for him. If it doesn’t, we’ll go ahead and reschedule for another day, since I can’t put together an effective recommendation without his input.”

The assertive salesperson is comfortable setting and managing expectations for a mutually successful meeting. He deals with the potential problem before it becomes a problem.

Action Steps for Improving Your Ability to Reach Decision Makers

As you can see, understanding how people and corporations make decisions is not a cookie-cutter process. We tell our clients that understanding this process is both textbook and real world. “Textbook” is what we refer to as the classic study of the company’s organizational chart, identification of the buying influences and their roles and responsibilities. “Real world” is recognizing that that every person and company makes decisions differently and sometimes their decision-making process doesn’t align with the textbook version.

For example, we see many companies that hang mission statements on the wall proudly stating, “We empower our people to make decisions.” Then, when it comes time for the company to make a purchase, you quickly learn that all empowerment goes out the window. You discover there is only one true buyer at the company and that buyer is in the corner office—the power buyer. (This is the same buyer that had the empowerment posters made.)

The organizational charts show titles and reporting relationships, but remember that the chart is filled with people who make decisions their own way, and make them for their own reasons. Here are three steps that will improve your ability to navigate through the decision step of the sales process:

1.  Review the way you interact with different personality types.

2.  Have another truth-telling conversation with yourself.

3.  Ask yourself how good you are at making decisions.

Improve your skills in this important stage and you will be one step closer to improving your close ratios.

Step #1: Review the Way You Interact with Different Personality Types

Does the Driver make you nervous and start you down the road of pitching and selling versus consulting and listening? Does the Influencer turn your sales meeting into a social event rather than a business conversation? Do you get so comfortable with the Steady Relator that you neglect to ask enough questions during the meeting, mistaking her hospitality for interest? Did you show up to the meeting with the Cautious Thinker prepared with answers and data in order to connect with his buying criteria?

Listen and look for clues to determine what type of buyer you have in front of you so you can adjust and adapt. The Driver will use words like “at the end of the day” and “next level.” The Influencer will be doing most of the talking. The Steady Relator will have pictures of his family or his team on the walls of his office. His demeanor is relaxed and calm. The Cautious Thinker will have a very neat desk and office. He might come across as aloof or cold.

Track your wins and losses to see if they are connected to the prospect’s behavioral style. Analyze each loss and ask yourself what you could have done to better connect with this prospect. What questions could you or should you have prepared to uncover their personal buying criteria?

We had a salesperson ask us, “Is it okay to just call on people like myself? That seems like it would be easier.” Our answer was, “Yes, but only if you can afford to leave behind 50 percent of your opportunities.”

Learn how to read your prospects and adapt your approach and style. You will be able to sell to any behavioral style, not just prospects who are similar to your personality.

Step #2: Have Another Truth-Telling Conversation with Yourself

What is the reason you are not scheduling meetings with the right decision maker or all the decision makers? Is your self-talk getting the best of you, convincing you that the C-suite buyer is a tougher buyer or you have nothing of value to share? Are you spending so much time worrying about your ability to perform well that you don’t even try to schedule an appointment with this buyer?

Set up a meeting with one of your executive clients. Ask your client for his opinion on what he wants and expects from salespeople. You might be surprised at how simple the answer is: competency, integrity, and responsiveness. All of those qualities are within your control.

If you’re not sure of how to have a financial conversation with a high-level executive, maybe you aren’t adding value to the conversation. Ask the CFO or someone in your accounting department to give you a Finance 101 class to understand the business of business. Take a class at the local college and develop your business acumen. Start subscribing to industry publications. Read business books and learn how great business leaders think and act. Adding value to a sales conversation is in your full control.

Check your assertiveness. Are you asking for what you need or just accepting what you get? You know what it takes to put together an effective recommendation. Ask for what you need or get used to writing practice proposals that are missing input from key decision makers.

Step #3: Ask Yourself How Good You Are at Making Decisions

If you aren’t very good at making decisions, how effective are you going to be at asking your prospects and customers to make decisions? Salespeople that are wishy-washy in making decisions in their personal and professional lives tend to expect and get the same behavior from their prospects.

One of the things we’ve noticed with good salespeople is that they don’t waste a lot of time worrying about “what happens if I make the wrong decision?” They know that even wrong decisions can be good because they learn that powerful thing called a lesson. The new knowledge from the lesson helps them do better on the next opportunity.

Decision makers make decisions. If you want to shorten your sales cycle and increase your wins, get good at scheduling meetings with these individuals. Do your pre-call planning and analysis but never forget that you are meeting with people. Learn what makes people tick. Adapt your approach so you connect and build relationships with a variety of buyers.